New measures, new reports and highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic in France and around the world.
The situation in France
The government announced on Monday a series of “vigilance measures” to deal with the outbreak of Covid-19 by removing the strongest restrictions. A Health Defense Council was held at midday to respond to a situation which has continued to deteriorate in recent weeks. Despite this situation, “the time is not for gauge, curfew or containment measures,” said Prime Minister Jean Castex, who held a press conference in the evening with the Minister of Health Olivier Véran to deliver the main decisions.
France’s “vaccine shield” makes it possible to avoid overly strict measures three weeks before Christmas, but it will not be enough, warned the Prime Minister. To speed up the vaccination of the most vulnerable, the government will allow, from Tuesday, over 65s to access a booster dose as a priority, without needing to make an appointment. While the incidence rate is exploding in children, it is strengthening barrier measures at school: from next Thursday, wearing a mask will be required in playgrounds and restricted collective sports from Monday. Brewing should also be limited to the canteen.
The government has thus dismissed a more drastic measure, yet on the table, which would have been to close schools a week before the Christmas holidays. “We have never had so much contamination in schools and here we see that we are not taking the measures that it would be necessary to take,” responded Guislaine David, general secretary of Snuipp-FSU, the first primary union. She would like “to return to class closure from the first case of Covid”. Vaccination of children at risk will also begin in mid-December. Once the green light has been obtained from the health authorities and the National Ethics Council, he also plans to open it “to all children” from 5 to 11 years old, “on a voluntary basis, if possible by the end of the year”. If the harshest restrictions are removed, the government is making an exception for nightclubs, which will close from Friday until the beginning of January, because “the wearing of a mask is extremely difficult in these establishments”. The state promises to support the companies concerned, but also “the event sectors or even caterers” who will see their activity impacted by the crisis. Representatives of these sectors will be received Tuesday at Bercy.
Thanks to a very contagious Delta variant and a vaccine efficacy that is dulling over time, the number of new daily cases now numbers in the tens of thousands with nearly 43,000 cases on average over the last seven days. More worrying, the number of hospitalized patients is today more than 12,000, the double of a month ago. Several hospitals have reactivated their “white plan”, a measure which allows the deprogramming of non-urgent operations and to request additional staff.
To limit the spread of the virus, the Prime Minister also called for the extension of teleworking, “up to 3 days” per week in the public service, 2 to 3 days elsewhere if possible. Jean Castex also recommended to the French to limit the “moments of conviviality” indoors in the private and professional spheres. “My message is very simple: until the end of the year celebrations, we put our foot down, we stop, we protect ourselves and we thus protect our ability to enjoy Christmas,” said the Prime Minister.
United States advises Americans not to visit France
The American authorities asked their nationals on Monday to avoid traveling to a dozen countries including France and Portugal, yet among the best vaccinated in Europe, in the midst of the epidemic outbreak on the old continent. “Avoid traveling to France,” recommended the State Department to American nationals in its new bulletin raising to level 4 its level of alert for this country, the highest level of warning, with the approach of the holidays end of year threatened by the new variant, Omicron.
“Due to the current situation (relating to Covid-19, editor’s note) in France, even fully vaccinated travelers can run the risk of catching and spreading the variants”, explained the main health agency of the United States, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). The list of countries affected by this CDC alert includes, in addition to France and Portugal, Cyprus, Andorra and Liechtenstein in Europe, as well as Jordan and Tanzania.
The State Department adds Mali and the Fiji Islands, which notably reported on Monday their first case of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19. France, where the number of new daily cases now numbers in the tens of thousands with 42,252 cases on Sunday, announced new restrictions on Monday evening: strengthening of the health protocol at school, closure of nightclubs for 4 weeks, facilitation of vaccination over 65s …
Portugal, which has the highest vaccination coverage rate in Europe (87% of the total population), had reinstated epidemic control measures last week (wearing a mask, health pass), while launching a new vaccination campaign with a forced march. The pandemic has killed at least 5,253,726 people around the world since the World Health Organization (WHO) office in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a report established by the AFP from official sources Monday at 11:00 GMT.
The balance sheet in the world
The pandemic has killed at least 5.2 million people worldwide since the office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Monday at 11:00 GMT.
The United States are the most bereaved country with 789,708 dead, in front of Brazil (615,744), India (473,537), Mexico (295,203) and Russia (282,462).
The WHO estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic in the world could be two to three times higher.
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